New volunteer program will let Manatee residents help out code enforcement officers
Removing signs that have been illegally placed along county roadways is eating away at precious time for Manatee County’s few code enforcement officers. A new program could soon allow residents to lend a hand.
Getting residents involved in the effort to keep neighborhoods clean could save the county about $70,000 a year by allowing volunteers to remove those signs. Hillsborough County has used a similar system since 2012 — volunteers there remove about 9,000 signs per year.
“The idea is to get people in neighborhoods to adopt that neighborhood, so to speak,” said Jorge Martelo, a supervisor with Manatee County Code Enforcement. “We want them to take pride in their own neighborhood and then expand out.”
Code Enforcement officials would be in charge of training, measuring the number of signs removed, scheduling volunteers and conducting background checks, Martelo told the Board of County Commissioners at Tuesday’s workshop meeting.
Volunteers will be directed to remove “snipe signs” that have been illegally placed along the roadway. These signs typically advertise yard sales, political campaigns, local businesses and more. Generally speaking, they’re only allowed on private property, so the ones that line sidewalks and utility poles are supposed to be removed.
Martelo said officers spend several hours a week removing these signs. Getting the public involved would allow officers to respond to more pressing infractions, he said. The Code Enforcement department is made up of 13 officers who monitor 720 square miles of land in the county.
“Any time we can work with citizens cleaning up their neighborhoods, they’re going to love it,” said Commissioner Betsy Benac.
The sign removal also involves an educational aspect, according to Martelo. Many businesses and homeowners aren’t aware that signs are being placed incorrectly, so officers try to explain the removal to owners, who are typically receptive of the lesson.
“You get a lot more with honey than you can with vinegar,” he said.
Volunteers will be outfitted with an ID, a safety vest, gloves and poles for removing signs from hard-to-reach places.
John Barnott, director of building and development services, said he hopes to implement the new program by the fall. County staff are still working on a guidebook and a waiver of liability for volunteers.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do still to do, and a lot of work with the County Attorney’s Office,” Barnott said.
Commissioners were largely supportive of the program, citing the beautification it can provide.
“I say go for it. It’s a great idea,” said Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace.
“It’s an aesthetic issue,” Benac added. “We live in a beautiful county and we want it to stay beautiful.”
